Chelsea fought back from two goals down to win 4-3 at London rivals Tottenham to close the gap on Premier League leaders Liverpool to four points on Sunday.
Chelsea sent out an emphatic statement with a win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium after Arsenal were held at Fulham.
The result makes bleak reading for Tottenham boss Ange Postecoglou, whose team are 11th in the table, just a single point ahead of struggling Manchester United.
Below are the three talking points from the Premier League over the weekend:
Chelsea – the real deal?
Manager Enzo Maresca has shaped a big Chelsea squad into an effective fighting force just months into his tenure at Stamford Bridge.
Last week, he predicted a bright future for the Blues, who have not won silverware since lifting the Champions League trophy in 2021, saying they could go on to “dominate” English football.
“We are happy that our fans are happy. They can dream, they can think everything because on the outside it is quite clear, also inside, the reality is that I said many times for me we are not ready to be there, but the important thing is we improve day by day,” the Italian said after his team came back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs.
But Chelsea are now within touching distance of Liverpool after a fourth straight top-flight win.
For Tottenham, the result is another major blow – just two weeks after they blew Manchester City away 4-0 at the Etihad.
Manchester United back in crisis
Ruben Amorim enjoyed a new manager bounce after arriving at Manchester United last month – but he will be under no illusions as to the scale of his task now.
The former Sporting Lisbon boss predicted the “storm will come” and it is here earlier than maybe he expected.
United went down 2-0 to high-flying Arsenal in midweek and on Saturday lost 3-2 at home to Nottingham Forest, paying for defensive lapses.
The 20-time Premier League champions are 13th in the table with 19 points, their lowest position after 15 league matches since the 1986/87 season.
EPL: N’Forest beat Man United at Old Trafford for first time in 30 years
Amorim has urged United’s players and supporters to trust the process, saying it will be a “long journey”.
But there was more upheaval off the pitch on Sunday as the club confirmed the shock departure of sporting director Dan Ashworth just five months after he took up the role.
With away games against Manchester City and Liverpool in the next few weeks, United could face a battle just to cling on to their dignity.
Home sweet home
Brentford are a Jekyll and Hyde team – their home form is the best in the Premier League but their away form is horrendous.
Thomas Frank’s men were at it again on Saturday, romping to an exhilarating 4-2 win over Newcastle at the Gtech Community Stadium – a seventh win in eight home games, with the other a draw.
It was the fourth time in five home matches that the Bees had hit four or more goals, AFP reported.
Only second-placed Chelsea have more than Brentford’s overall total of 31 goals this season.
“The number of goals we’ve scored in the league, I don’t think any of us understand how crazy good that is,” said Frank.
Brentford are ninth in the table on 23 points despite their woeful form on the road, where they have experienced six defeats and one draw in their seven games.
Turn that around and they could be pushing for a European spot, with many of the bigger clubs struggling for consistency.
The leader of the United Kingdom’s Conservative Party, Kemi Badenoch, has berated Vice President Kashim…
The national grid collapsed on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, leading to a blackout across the…
A cargo aircraft operated by Allied Air has crash-landed at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in…
Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo has approved the appointment of Dr Musa Omeiza Muazu as…
Dan Ashworth has emerged as a potential target for Premier League club Arsenal's vacant sporting…
Outgoing United States President Joe Biden has branded his successor Donald Trump's economic plans a…
This website uses cookies.